The Great Ganesha

Saw a couple of plays (one on Broadway, one off-Broadway) when I was in New York. Here are some brief reviews.

Watched the famous Broadway musical Company. Apart from being an excellent satire on marriage (and single life), I was surprised to see that it had a desi in the cast - Angel Desai. She plays ‘Marta’ a young, single girl enjoying her independence in New York. She does a good job, too.

Angel Desai

The play is about a single guy whose friends (five couples) throw him a surprise party every year. The play opens with his 35th birthday party. Through the play he meets each couple one by one and we get to know each of them in their roles as husband or wife, and each other’s idiosynracies. Some of them are so drastic, that it’s a wonder that the marriage survives at all. One marriage, in fact, survived only after the couple divorces (if that makes any sense). It really sets you off thinking about what marriage is, why people get married and why they don’t. It’s about emotional attachment, or the lack of it. And the price you pay for whichever choice you make.

Everyone acted well through the play, and what was particularly great was that each actor was assigned an instrument which they played throughout the play. So they double as a musical company as well. I’m sure that physically and mentally that is quite a challenge and they definitely lived up to it. Of course, every once in a while the songs got in the way of the interesting dialogue, but they were Stephen Sondheim songs, so that deadened the pain somewhat. While I’m not a big fan of songs in either movies or plays, it does help if they’re good. Speaking of musicals, I caught a musical on IFC some time back - it’s a French film from 1964 called Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. What’s great about it is that the entire dialogue is in song, including trivial lines like “I’m going to the shop” and things like that. It’s a musical that lampoons all musicals, if you ask me. But I digress. If you have the time, and you’re in the city, I’d definitely recommend Company. Especially if you’re a fan of musicals.

Also went off-Broadway and saw The Voysey Inheritance at the Atlantic Theatre Company (founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy) on 20th St. It wasn’t too bad. A somewhat traditional British play written (and set in) the early 20th century, it deals with issues of business ethics. While this may not sound as glamourous and interesting as marriage, it was interesting nonetheless. It’s the story of a son who inherits the family business and realizes that his father has been embezzling from the firm since Day 1. In fact, it was his grandfather who started the firm, and the embezzling shortly thereafter! When the son confronts the family with this fact, no one really wants to change anything since they are all accustomed to their lifestyles. The play deals with the decisions made by the son, and their eventual consequences.

It’s adapted by David Mamet from Harley Granville Barker’s original. The acting is excellent - with all Americans doing superb British accents. It’s extremely hard to tell that their nationalities. The play has its high points with some really funny lines delivered with what I can only call pure British straight-faced-ness. The premise is certainly interesting and quite relevant, what with Enron, et al. But overall it’s lacking a little something. The ending was a little abrupt and seemed, to me, anticlimactic. And I would definitely not call it a Mamet play, although it has a hint of his classic dialogues. But just a hint.

Picture Sources: Angel Desai - broadwayworld.com; Company poster - newyorkcitytheatre.com; The Voysey Inheritance poster - the Atlantic Theater Company website.